Reasons Long Distance Relationships Are AWESOME

At the beginning of the school year, the last thing I wanted to do was be in a long distance relationship (LDR). I'm a free spirit, and I surely didn't want to be pining for someone 2,500 miles away in New Jersey. But even though my high school boyfriend, Jimmy, and I broke up just before I left for Texas, we ended up getting back together two months into school.

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Five months later, I couldn't be happier with my LDR! And quite frankly, lots of fellow college-folk are in happy and healthy long distance relationships, including some of my high school classmates, as well as a lot of my friends in my hall at Rice (including my roommate!). Technology certainly contributes to why LDRs can flourish – there's no excuse to not be able to communicate, at least in part, on a daily basis due to Facebook, texting, and of course, Skype. Since I've experienced both short and long distance relationships, I've kind of realized now that an LDR suits my lifestyle quite well! Here are some reasons why LDRs are not as awful as some people might make them out to be...

1. The relationship stays interesting! You and your significant other aren't always seeing each other in person, so you always have new things to tell each other when you text/call/Skype/send Facebook messages.

2. You retain your independence! Lots of couples who are always around each other run the risk of only EVER being with each other, especially in college where everyone lives together. Their identities are inextricably tied to each other, so much so that their names combine into a proper noun all on their own (i.e. "Joe-and-Jill" or "Mark-and-Lisa"), and when it gets to that point, it's toxic. Well, it's much harder to have that problem if you're in an LDR. When your significant other isn't there, it's much, MUCH easier to be your own person.

3. You value your time! When you FINALLY do get to see your significant other, it's so much more special. There's an implied agreement between Jimmy and me that we make our time together as happy as possible.

4. You have more time to focus on the more important aspects of college: YOUR interests, schoolwork and friends! One of the biggest complaints about LDRs is that they're time consuming. This was one of my qualms prior to getting into my LDR – I didn't want to be stuck on Skype when there was a whole world at college waiting for me. But once I was settled at college, and once my LDR fell into a rhythm of phone calls, texts, etc., it became surprisingly easy to plan my time, so that I could allocate just enough time for Jimmy.

5. The emotional/spiritual aspect of your relationship becomes more important! Lots of relationships can become too physical, so much so that the emotional and spiritual part of the relationship becomes neglected. But of course, the fact that Jimmy isn't physically around puts a larger stress on both our communication, as well as the silly/cute things we do for each other at a distance. We talk frequently, of course, but we also make the effort to send each other packages or to watch TV shows at the same time while we Skype. LDRs are an exercise in creativity!

6. No worrying about stupid college boys! Let's face it: the college dating scene gets annoyingly complicated. But if you're in an LDR, you aren't wasting time flirting and excessively primping; nor are you busy trying to impress guys. You don't have to think about boys because you know there's a boy out there who cares about you.

LDRs aren't for everyone – although there are many benefits, it takes a lot of work, trust, love, dedication, and of course, communication in order to make an LDR work. But being in an LDR has defined my college experience thus far in some of the best ways possible. I truly hope and pray that the relationship continues to work out as well as it has been, because it's totally worth it!

What do you think of my tips on LDRs? Do you agree or disagree? Let me know in the comments below!

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